Photo by MATT WUNSCH
SmartBus is a program in which bus cameras could be installed within the Narragansett School district's buses.

NARRAGANSETT--The School Committee met and heard presentations from SmartBus, Narragansett High School Principal Warner as well as a presentation by Carol Balchelder, who works at Narragansett Elementary School focusing on enrichment.

An enrollment report was provided which stated that there were 1,487 students in the Narragansett School system as of Jan. 2011. (539 in pre-school through fourth grade, 445 students in fifth through eighth grade, 488 in ninth through twelfth, and fifteen students were special education students out of district. There were also charter school and out of district students included.)

Also, materials provided to the public included information from the "Feinstein Advisor" which detailed the various charitable work throughout the district. Some of the activities for 2009-2010 included a Holiday Food Drive in which students created posters, decorated boxes, and helped delivery food baskets. There were also various fundraisers and drives which included raising money for the American Heart Association, a Hat Day for Haitian Earthquake Victims, Crayons for Cancer, Cloth collection for the Gulf Oil Spill, and "Pennies for Patients" which benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Superintendent Sipala described the benefits of remaining within SORICO, the nine-member Southern Rhode Island Collaborative. North Kingstown, East Greenwich, South Kingstown, East Greenwhich and Exeter/West Greenwich have all stated their intentions to (possibly) withdraw from SORICO by June 30. Superintendent Mercurio of East Greenwich wrote that he was withdrawing from the program due to "the district's concern over the financial health of SORICO and...the limited support from SORICO."